California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 15,842 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

California Public Employees Retirement System reduced its position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 24.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 50,172 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 15,842 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $9,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tema Etfs LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the first quarter worth $28,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 90.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 73.8% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 139 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms reiterated the approaching July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline in the AVAV securities class action, keeping AeroVironment in the news and highlighting ongoing legal overhang. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also saw another round of short-interest commentary, but the filing reported zero shares short, so it does not appear to add meaningful new pressure. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment recently scored a new Army contract, and investors have also been encouraged by strong defense-program momentum, which supports the long-term revenue outlook even as the stock trades lower near term. Article Title

AeroVironment Price Performance

NASDAQ AVAV opened at $149.51 on Friday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52 week low of $135.20 and a 52 week high of $417.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.63, a PEG ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $166.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $213.45.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.71%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.61 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at $8,546,264.41. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on AVAV. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, June 8th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of AeroVironment to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.68.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc (NASDAQ:AVAV) is a technology company specializing in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), tactical missiles and precision loitering munitions, electric vehicle charging and scalable energy systems. Headquartered in Monrovia, California, the company develops solutions for defense, public safety and commercial markets. Their offerings include small UAS for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as advanced weapons systems designed to meet the needs of modern military operations.

The company’s unmanned aerial systems portfolio features platforms such as the Raven, Puma and Switchblade series, which are deployed by the U.S.